Iowa City Legislator Forced to Move, and She's Perfectly Cool With That

Iowa's redistricting process was designed to be fair, but it ended up being a little unfair to state Rep. Mary Mascher.

When the state's nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency redrew the districts earlier this year, officials determined the boundary lines using only population as the guide. They aimed to create districts with populations within one percent of all state Senate and House districts, as well as U.S. congressional districts. 

As a result, Mascher's Iowa City home is now located within the very southeast tip of the new district that houses fellow state Rep. Dave Jacoby. Unless she wants to run against Jacoby in 2012, Mascher will have to move, even though the border of her new district is a five-minute walk from her current home.

She says she has already decided that moving to her new district in eastern Iowa City will be the best option. Unfair maybe, but you won't hear the 17-year veteran of the statehouse complaining about it.

“We have one of the best systems in the nation and I voted for the plan for that reason, even though it might not have been the best for me personally," Mascher said. “And if someone wants to run against me for this new district, that's OK, too."

Mascher, D-Iowa City, is the only member of the Johnson County delegation who will be forced to move due to the redistricting plan, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Gov. Terry Branstad in early April.

U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, has also indicated he is moving south from his home in Mount Vernon to  represent the new 2nd Congressional District in southeast Iowa. The districts of the state representatives in Johnson County — Jacoby, Mascher and Vicki Lensing — were also affected by the addition of a new district in western Johnson County that will span from North Liberty to Tiffin and Oxford and will then reach down to the border with Washington County.

Sally Stutsman, a longtime member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, has already declared her intention to run for this new open seat.

Mascher said the rapid growth in the area is why she was not surprised by the change to the districts and the addition of a seat. In fact, she said the area's population growth bodes well for the Johnson County delegation and its influence in Des Moines.

“The political clout for us at the state level will obviously increase because of the additional seat," Mascher said.

Mascher said although the area she will be representing will shift, assuming she wins reelection, the Johnson County delegation works so well together that she feels very little will change.

“Of course, I will represent my district to the best of my abilities, but I also think of myself as representing all of Johnson County,” Mascher said. “We [the Johnson County delegation] all kind of see ourselves as Johnson County legislators."

As for the forced move, Mascher said she is looking on the bright side there, too. She said although she has had many great memories in her home on Gryn Court, she is now looking to move into a condo  in her new district by this fall. The upside: less work removing snow and no more mowing a big backyard. She said it will be a more convenient living arrangement for her.

However, not everyone will find the move a good deal.

“I've been kidding my son (Jason) that it's about time for him to come get his boxes of stuff out of the basement," Mascher said, laughing.

You can find more information about the new redistricting maps on the Iowa Legislature site.